Drum mounted cutter bit and breaker for mining machines



F. cARTLlDGE 2,670,190 DRUM MOUNTED CUTTER BIT AND BREAKER EOE MINING MACHINES 3 Sheets--Sheet 1 Feb. 23, 1954 Filed Jan. 19, 1951 Feb. 23, 1954 Filed Jan. 19, 1951 F. CARTLIDGE 2,670,190 DRUM MOUNTED CUTTER BIT AND BREAKER FOR MINING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb- 23, 1954 F. CARTLIDGE 2,670,190

DRUM MOUNTED CUTTER BIT AND BREAKER FDR MINING MACHINES Filed Jan. 19, 1951 3 Sheets-Sh00t 5 yy/M762 @www Patented Feb. 23, 1Q54 acadien;

DRUM MOUNTED; CUTTER Brr AND BREAKER Fon: MINING MACHINES Frank; (iartlldgef` (thioagol Illi,. a.sssignoctGu0ximan.v Manufacturing@ Company,l (thiea'gm, IILn a. corporation-of, Illinois Application-January'l), 1951i, Serial Nb; 206;7927

(Cl. Zlle-9.).-

5 Claims@ l This 1 invention relates to improvements in coali miningmachines particularlyfadapted for-cutting and disl'od'ging coal' from thesolid' working-face of'a mine;

The-principal object of' theinvention is'. to4 pro-.1 vide a rotary cutter head for machines: of the character above described, including-a novel' form and arrangement of` longitudinally' spacedkerf cutting discsf and co-re'break-ing rollers for break@ ing out the cores left in the working face of a: mineV` between thex adjacent kerf cuttingl discs;

A- further object! of theinvent'ion i's to.- providean improved arrangement for rotatably mounting: thel core breakers: oni the rotary cutter head to provide more adequatev bearing supportv for: saidI corev breakers;

A further objectt of` the invention is to provide an.- improved arrangement ot core breaking` rollers at different sides-of saiolE discs: sozA as to tend to equalize'the axial` thrust; on the cutter heady re sulting from engagement of the several core breaking rollers with the coal.

Other obfiectszofthefinvention/ will appear from time to timeas the ollowingdescription proceeds'.

The; invention may besti be; understood by refi-v erence to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure. 11 is. au fragmentary top plan: viewsoi the` front end. ofa` cutter frame: constructed; in; ac--- cordance withmy invention;

Figure 2iA is a side viewf of' thexpartse shown. inl Figure 1.;

Figure 3 is; anl enlarged detailc-:fd section taken on line 3,-3; ofI Figure, 1';

Figure 4v is an enlarged; detailed section; takenonline; 4 4. of Figure 1;.

Referring now tothe embodimentof: my inve-nwr tionillustrated, in the drawings-,. Figure, 1,-A shows the front pant. of a cutter head forv a continuousm-iningmachine of the,- kindr broadly' disclosed; in: my copending application bearing@ Seriali Number 1165684, lledSeptember 20; 19491,. wherein acutten frame is pivotally connected at its rear endl fon pivotal; swinging nio-.vement relative. to. the, main frame, of the mining` machine, witha. rotary.- cutsaid ter head extending across the. front-...endet frame for cutting,

The cutter frame shown herein includes two.

sideframe, members IIf, I I having` a cutter head.

indicated' at I2, mounted f'or rotary movement on a transverse axis between the frontend's of said side frame members... The side frame, members I tI are cross-connected rearwardly of the, ro

taryheacl. L2 by. a tie bar. L3 p ivotally connected; to.;

piston rods I4', If4` associatedv with hydraulicl elevating cylinders I 5, I5 on'themachne framelnot' gather as. usual; by" links, 4L

ZJ shownl forv raising" or.` loweringLA the cutterf head during thefcuttng operation. Since the present invention relates: only to? the.`V construction ot therotanycuttery head, only.r thet front endl or' ther separate ker in; the; co,al, as; indicated: at.4 Z5. in

Figure 1I, in; advance, et the: machine when. the cutter.; headI is swungvertical-1y:A

'Ehe rotary head I2,- haa suitable antiafriction bearing means at oppositel ends'thereof, for ro-l tatablyf mounting; thek sam-e between the side frame: members IgIf. As; shown. in"v Figure 1 thef hollow; drum, L8; has; enlargedy end; portions, 2h which surround inwardly projecting; sleeves.- 2.9.- formed. in. theside frameamembersf Ha. with anti- .friction roller bearings lll1 interposed therebetween. A center tie tod'.` Qrrshaft 35|. extendsthe length; of the drum. I 8 and has,f its. opposite, ends xed in. the sleeves, 29, and. held therein as. by bolts. 31?K passing; through thel outer faces of'. each.

. side. frame membery LI ,t to tiesaid frame membersA together at; the frontend ofthe .cutter frame.

The. rotary cutter headmay. he driven, as usual, through a pair of cutter chains 3.5,( 35. guided for orbital, movement along; the.- side.` trame, members I I and. trained? ahoutsnrockets- 3,6, 3,6. xed to the outer ends. of. the: rotary headA In. the. form shown, the, sprockets 3E. are formed separately from, the enlarged end; portionsJ 28 of,` the` rotary head andare suitably fixed to. the'. latter asby a plurality of bolts. 38,. 3.9.-

Each., of the sprockets 3'6] have teeth 40,. 4I) which engage inrecesses. 4.1i formed in the under faces, Ofthe cutter'blocks 42 of.' the cutter chain. The cutter blocks l2.' are -piyotaly connected. to-

The cutter blocks` have cutter bits 44; ttmount'ed therein at several" angles to the orbital plane. ofsaid cutter chain to cuta vertical kerf; as indicatedA at 4'5 inFigure 1, at each end ofthe cutterhead. The Sprockets 36 and" cutter blocks Mv are of such dimensions 21S Ifr ont' the'outermost kerfs 45: aty approximatelythesam'ea depth, as the intermediatekerfs 2.5 fonnedjbny theA Qntterdiscs" 1&9; but 'said autenkeifs may* beV formed somewhat Wideiq` than kerfsg' as shown; v

The cutter chains 35 may be driven by power through suitable drive sprockets on the machine, mounted as usual concentrically with the axis of vertical swinging movement of the cutter frame I0. The cutter chain driving mechanism may be of any conventional form so need not be further shown nor described in detail.

The side frame members Il, Il may include extension plates 41,@41 at their front ends, which are longitudinally slidable relative to side bars 48, 48, to provide the usual cutter chain tensioning adjustment.

One or more core breaking members U, 50 are associated with each of the cutter discs I9, so that their outer ends project into the kerf formed by its respective cutter disc.

Each core breaker comprises a roller 5l with a supporting stub shaft 52 projecting concentrically from the base thereof. The rollers are preferably frusta-conical in form, although they may be of other forms as long as they are freely rotatable in the kerf. Each stub shaft 52 is journalled on an elongated bearing 53 formed transversely along the surface of the drum i8 so that the axis of rotation of each roller and its stub shaft intersects the surface of the drum along a secant which is offset radially a substantial distance from the longitudinal axis of the drum. Thus, the shafts 52 of the two rollers are spaced from the axis of the drum I8 so as to clear opposite sides of the centering shaft 3| of the drum. Each elongated bearing 53 is also offset laterally vfrom one side of vits respective cutter discs, but with the axis of rotation of the roller and shaft disposed at an acute angle to the plane of rotation of said cutter discs so that the roller itself extends toward and partially into a recess 54 formed in the periphery of the cutter disc, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. Y

The arrangement just described is such that the base of each roller 5i projects laterally of one side of the disc beyond the line of clearance defined by the cutter bits 2l in cutting the kerf at said one side of said disc, but with the tapered outer end and the major portion of the roller disposed within the lines of clearance at both sides of said cutter disc, As a result of this arrangementy the outer end of each roller will` project into the kerf 25 out by the cutter disc, and the laterally projecting base of the roller is free for rotation as it engages and breaks off projecting portions of the core which may be left between adjacent kerfs.

yThe elongated bearings 53 for the roller shafts 52 each consists of a generally semi-circular, hollow boss formed integrally with the drum I8. A bearing sleeve 5S is mounted in one end of said boss, having a ange 51 for receiving longitudinal thrust on the tapered roller 5l. A second, smaller bearing sleeve 58 is mounted in the opposite end of said boss, for receiving a reduced end portion of the shaft 52 (see Figure 3). Each shaft 52 may be held inits bearings by any suitable means, suoli as a retaining ring 59, engaging theouter end face of the bearing sleeve 58 and secured by a U-shaped locking `ring 60 of wellknown form, detachably fitting in an annular groove 6| at the outer end of said shaft.

In the preferred arrangement shown herein,`

each cutter disc i9 has two core breaker rollers 5b' associated therewith; said rollers being mountedV on opposite sidesvof the hollow drum' I8 so that the axesof said rollers and their vassociated stub shaftsare disposed in substantially parallel planes oiset radially on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the drum, as shown in Figure 4.

The several rollers 50 are preferably arranged on the cutter head so that some of them project toward similar sides of the cutter discs, and a substantially equal number of the rollers project toward opposite sides of the discs. For instance, in the embodiment shown in Figure l, where ilve cutter discs I9 are employed, the four rollers on the two cutter discs at the left-hand side project toward the left end of the cutter head, as viewed toward the front of said cutter head, while the corresponding four rollers on the two cutter discs on the right-hand side project toward the opposite or right end of the cutter head. The center cutter disc has one roller projecting toward the left end and the other roller projecting to- -ward the opposite or right end of the cutter head. With this arrangement, the end thrust on the cutter head produced by lateral rolling engagement of the several rollers with the intermediate cores between the kerfs 25 will be substantially equalized, so as to overcome any tendency of the cutter head to slue in one direction or the other during the cutting operation.

The use and operation of the cutter head with the core breaker rollers mounted thereon, as above described, will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The arrangement wherein the rollers with their stub shafts 52 disposed on off-center relation to the axis of the drum i8 makes it possible to provide much longer and more substantial journal bearings for the rollers than in previous structures wherein the roller shafts have usually been disposed with their axes extending in a generally radial relation to the longitudinal axis of the drum. AS a result of this arrangement,

. the core breaking rollers can present larger, more effective core breaking areas to the coal than heretofore.

It will be observed further that the outer or free end of the rollers are biased toward the plane of rotation of their adjacent cutting discs, so that the laterally projecting base portions of the rollers engage the cores between the discs at an oblique angle, thus producing a distinct wedging action on the cores, effective longitudinally of each Aroller toward its base, in addition to the usual tangential rolling action eiective upon therollers. This longitudinal wedging action is especially effective when the rollers are of conical form, as shown. Accordingly, in performing their function, the rollers are subjected to a substantial amount of end thrust, thereby relieving the rollers of a substantial amount of circumferential shearing streses which, otherwise, they and their bearing supports would be required to withstand if their axes were disposed generally diametrically of the drum, as in previous structures.

By providing a substantially equal number of core breakers on opposite sides of the several intermediate kerf cutting discs, any tendency of the cutter head to slue sidewise during the cutting operation is effectively eliminated. Moreover. the arrangement, whereby all the rollers nearer each end of the rotary cutter head are disposed on the outer sides of their respective c utter discs, tends to spread the coal broken away from the cores between adjacent intermediate kerfs 25 toward the larger end kerfs 45 produced by the cutter bits 44, 44.

Although I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not Wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modilications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a, cutter head for a mining machine, a rotary drum having a plurality of radially extending cutter discs spaced laterally therealong to cut a plurality of spaced kerfs, and rollers rotatably journalled on said drum with their axes olset and spaced radially from the axis o-f rotation of said drum, and disposed at an acute angle to a plane perpendicular to said drum axis, the outer ends of said rollers farthest from the drum axis terminating Within the lateral kerf cutting limits of their respective cutter discs, and with the base portions of said rollers projecting beyond the lateral kerf cutting limits of their respective cutter discs.

2. A cutter head structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein said rollers are tapered and journalled on the drum laterally of their respective discs, With the smaller outer ends of said rollers extending toward the peripheries of their respective cutter discs, and disposed substantially Within the kerf-cutting limits of the latter.

3. A cutter head structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein said rollers have stubshafts journalled on said drum with their axes extending along secants intersecting the periphery of said drum, and each of said shafts have bearing supports spaced on opposite sides of a line perpendicular to its respective secant and intersecting the axis of rotation of said drum.

4. In a cutter head for a mining machine, a tilting frame including a pair of laterally spaced side bars, a drum rotatably mounted on said frame between said side bars having a plurality of spaced kerf cutting discs, a tie rod extending through said drum substantially concentrically therewith for connecting said side bars, and core breaking rollers having stub shafts journalled in bearing supports. on said drum extending transversely of the latter, with said stub shafts spaced radially from and extending transversely of said tie rod, at an acute angle to a plane perpendicular to said drum axis, the outer ends of said rollers farthest from said tie rod terminating within the lateral kerf cutting limits of said cutter discs, and the base portions of said rollers projecting beyond the lateral kerf cutting limits of their respective cutter discs.

5. In a cutter head for a mining machine, a rotary drum having a plurality of radially extending cutter discs spaced laterally therealong, each of said discs having a plurality of cutter bits fixed on its periphery and extending at di'erent angles therefrom to cut a kerf substantially wider l than the body of said disc, said cutter disc bodies also having breaker roller apertures therein, and coni-cal breaker rollers each having a stub shaft journalled on said drum with their axes offset from the axis of said drum and disposed at an acute angle to an adjacent cutter disc, the major portion of said conical roller projecting into a roller receiving aperture in said disc, with the enlarged base portion of said roller projecting substantially beyond one side of the kerf cutting limits of the cutter bits of its cutter disc, and with the remainder of said conical roller including its tapered outer end disposed Within the kerf cutting limits of said bits, so that rolling engagement of said roller against the adjacent Wall of the kerf cut by its disc will normally be conned to one side of said conical roller adjacent its base.

FRANK CARTLIDGE.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Nov. 24, 1919 

